Florida man who hosted 'It's God's Money' radio show set to face trial for allegedly stealing $6M from dozens of listeners in Ponzi scheme

Gary Gauthier and business partner David Dreslin will stand trial for their Ponzi scheme more than a decade after it collapsed. (Stock)

A Christian radio host and his business partner cheated their devoted listeners out of $6 million. More than a decade later, they’ll finally stand trial for their Ponzi scheme.

Gary Gauthier, who hosted the “It’s God’s Money” in the Tampa Bay area in the early 2000s, allegedly convinced his listeners that God wanted them to use their money for real estate investments — his real estate investments, to be specific.

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"Being a Christian, we were just really open to wanting to do business with other Christians,'' Marilyn White, a retired Verizon customer service rep who got duped, said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "He talked about scriptures and the Bible, and we were just very comfortable in his presence.''

Gauthier, described as “the Donald Trump of Tampa Bay,” paid for a 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday time slot to find gullible marks, co-host Keith Leach said in a deposition last year, according to the Times.

Along with business partner David Dreslin, Gauthier told his investors that he would use their money to buy properties, which would then be rented out until they were sold at a profit, at which point the investors would then get their money back and more.